Server-Controlled Communication System

1. A communication system, comprising: an encoder, configured to input and encode source data, thereby generating encoded data, and to output the encoded data; a decoder, configured to input and decode the encoded data, thereby generating decoded data, and to output the decoded data; and a server configured to provide a first control signal to the encoder and to provide a second control signal to the decoder, wherein the encoder uses the first control signal to security-encode the source data, and the decoder uses the second control signal to security-decode the encoded data.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encoded data is provided from the encoder to the decoder across a communication channel.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the communication channel comprises a real-time communication channel.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the real-time communication channel comprises at least one of a radio-signal link, an optical link, a local area network, a wide area network or the Internet.

5. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the communication channel comprises a storage device that can be used by a recipient to retrieve, on demand, source data previously encoded by the encoder and then stored into said storage device.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encoder and the decoder are structurally identical to each other.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are identical codes.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first control signal is a first code, the second control signal is a second code, and at least one of the first and second codes is derivative of the other.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first control signal is a first code, the second control signal is a second code, and at least one of the first and second codes is at least one of: updated periodically or transmitted continuously.

10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one of the first and second codes is provided on at least one of: a regular or periodic basis.

11. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first control signal is a first code, the second control signal is a second code, and at least one of the first and second codes is provided upon request.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said request is initiated by the decoder.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein the server is configured to impose a limitation on a device that is able to receive at least one of the first and second codes.

14. The communication system according to claim 13, wherein said request includes an identification code associated with the device submitting said request.

15. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the encoder is implemented by an encoder/decoder that can be configured to operate either as the encoder or as a second decoder.

16. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein the encoder/decoder is configured to operate as the encoder or as the second decoder via an input configuration signal.

17. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first control signal and the second control signal is used to control how data blocks are rearranged.

18. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first control signal and the second control signal is used to specify a size of a data block.